Mangosteen: Pesticides and Quality

Thailand and pesticides.
Thailand, the largest supplier of mangosteen fruit in the world, is also one of the biggest users of pesticides in the South Asia region.  Most of the pesticides are imported; 73% fall into the WHO hazard categories I:   Ia - extremely hazardous or  Ib -  highly hazardous.  A further 33% are category II - moderately hazardous. The three main insecticides in use are the organophosphates monocrotophos, methamidophos, and methyl parathion, all considered particularly hazardous under the conditions of use in developing countries.  (Pesticide facts in Thailand)

Mangosteen pericarp -- is it sprayed with pesticides?
The most nutritious part of the mangosteen is the pericarp (rind or skin) because of its rich xanthone content.  If chemical pesticides are sprayed on the tree, it will contact the fruits, especially the skin or pericarp.  Determining how heavily sprayed and what pesticides were used on the pericarp is often difficult because most companies get their pericarp from fruit canning companies.  These companies can the pulp (white inner meat) and throw away the skin as "waste material," which is then swept up off the floor and sold to companies looking for pericarp.  Since these large canning companies buy their fruits from many different farms, the quality of the paricarp will be inconsistent.  The cleanliness of the factory floors is also a concern since most of these canning operations are in third world countries.

Our mangosteen and the pericarp ARE HIGH QUALITY and chemical free.
Our mangosteen is grown on one large mangosteen farm in Thailand.  It’s grown without chemicals (with no pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers).  The mangosteen and its pericarp are processed with cleanliness in mind.  We do not throw the pericarp on to the floor and treat it as "waste material."  Our product is not labeled organic because the fields haven't been certified by a US organic certifying agency.  They are, however, certified by BCS Oko-Garantie that they meet the inspected procedures, applied inspection, and control procedures of the Japanese Agricultural Standard of Organic Agricultural Products (JAS) of the Japanese Ministry of Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF).   The Japanese organic standards are very similar to the US and in some areas even stricter.  With our product, you can rest assured that no pesticides are being sprayed on the pericarp and that the processing of our mangosteen juice is of the highest quality.